Pneumatic-despatch-tube system.



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WQUM. l 2, J m m e 7 .M 1W 0. M N M l f f5 7 No. 716,2l2. Patented nec.16,1902.

. E. A. Fonvc.

PNEUMATICI DESPATCH TUBE SYSTEM.

\ (Aiaplication ild Aug. 4, 1902.) (No Mudel.)

4-Shets-Sheet 2.

" No. 716,2!2. l Patented Dec. I6, |902..

` E. A. FoRDYcE.

' A PNEuMATlc m-:sPATcH TUBE SYSTEM.

(Applicaftion filed Aug. 4, 1902.)

No. 716,2I2. Patented Dec. |6,|902. E. A. Foam/CE.

PNEUMATIG DESPATCH TUBE SYSTEM. (Application lel Aug. 4, 1902.)(NoModel.) '4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

cation.

EDMOND strot-inves,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

` PN EU MATlC-DESPATCH-TU BE SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,212, dated December16, 1902.

i Application iiled August4,1902. Serial No. 118,267. (No model.)

a citizen of theUvnitedStates, residing at Ohi-- cago, inthe county ofCook` and State ofzIllinois, haveinvented certain mew and usefulImprovements in Pneum'atic-Despatch-Tube Systems, of which the followingis a speci- .My invention relates to pneumatic-despatch-tube systems,such as are commonly l employed as cash-carriers instores and largecommercial houses; and the principal or ultimate object of` my inventionis to effect an increased economy in the cost of operating such systems,more particularly in respect to a reduction in the power required tomaintain the necessary impelling-current throughout the lines of thesystem.

Heretofore it has been usual in such systems as are operated by acurrent maintained by a suction or exhaust blower to provide a singlemain or trunk tube, withone end of which the bloweris connected, therebymaintaining a constant air-suction through said trunk-tube, and toconnect each oneof the line-tubes with said trunk-tube, thereby causingan exhaust-current of air to be constantly maintained in each and all oftheline-tubes.

`By reason of the fact that certain of the linetubes are frequently idlefor considerable, pe-

. riods of time such a system imposes much unnecessary work upon theblower, thus increasing considerably the power required and n expendedin the actual transmission of car,- riers to and fro. In carrying outtheobject of my invention, therefore, I provide for a reduction in thevolume of the impelling-current required when any one or more' of thevarious lines is out of service at any given time.

My invention will be best understood when considered in connection withthe apparatus disclosed in the `accompanying drawings, which apparatusis typical only and intended to illustrate one form and arrangement ofmechanism in which the principle of my in vention may be embodied. i.

Referring, therefore, to the drawings, Figure lis a front elevationalview of the system as it appears at the central station or cashdesk.Fig. 2 is a side elevation, broken away, of a single sending and returnline of the systern when arranged overhead, as shown at the right-handportion of Fig. 1 and showing the trunk-line in cross-section. Fig. 3 is.aview similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating an arrangement whereintheimain lines are located beneath the floor instead of overhead', asshown at the left-hand portion of Fig. 1; and Figs. 4 and 5 are detailviews of terminal devices at the outlying stations shown in Figs. 2 and3, respectively, viewed in planes at right angles to the illustration ofsaid devices in Figs. 2 and 3.

In carrying out my invention I preferably employ a closed-circuit systemfor the air- 'current-that is, one in which the main or trunk tube is inthe form of an endless loop, with the blower interposed therein andconnected thereto on both its suction and discharge sides. Thistrunk-tube is shown in the drawings at 6, and 7 indicates the blowerinterposed therein, which blower for the purposes of my invention willpreferably be a comparatively small blower operating at high speed. Bythis means a constant and rapid circulation of air is maintainedthroughout the trunk-tube 6 in the direction indicated by the arrows.The trunk-tube and blower are preferably located beneath and adjacentthe usualca'sh-desk` 8, convenientlylocated with reference to which arethe usual sending-terminals 9 and discharging-terminals 10 of eachconnected overhead outgoing line 11 and incoming line 12, which servethe outlying stations 13, Figs. 1,2, and ,fas well as thesending-terminals Qaand discharging-terminals 10a of the undergroundoutgoing and incoming tubes 11 and 12a, respectively, Figs. 1, 3, and 5.The sending-terminals 9 and 9a at the cash-desk are preferablyconstructed and connected with the trunk-tube 6 in the manner fullyshown in my former patent, No. 681,414, granted August 217, 1901, saidterminals being each provided with a pair of valves or iaps 9b and 9c(indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3) `and having a connectionwith the trunk-tube 6 below the lowermost of said valves, as indicatedby the dotted arrow in said figures. The returntube l2 passes downwardlythrough the cashdesk and directly taps the trunk-tube 6, the dischargeterminal 10 therefrom, like the sending-terminal 9, being trapped orsealed through the provision of a pair of counterpoised valves. (Shownin dotted lines at 10b and 10 in Figs. 1 and 2.) At the outlying station13, Figs. 2 and 4, the line-tube 11 12 forms a dipor U-shaped benddirectly above the salesmans desk and has applied to one leg thereof,herein shown Ias the tube 11, the discharging and sending terminals 14and 15, respectively, disposed in planes at right angles to each otherand each provided with double valves to seal the line againstinterruption from the outside air. When thennderground lines ll"L and12, Fig. 3, are ernployed in lieu of the overhead lines l1 and 12, theyare carried up beneath thesalesmans desk 16, being united thereabovethrough the interposition of a suitable sealed dischargingterminal 17,the tube 12 being provided directly therebeneath with a sealedsendingterminal 18, all as clearly shown in Fig. 5 and at the right-handend of Fig. 3. The returntube 12, extending up from beneath the cashdeskto a suitable height, makes a bend through the interposition of adischarge-terminal 10, similar to the discharge-terminal 17 at theoutlying' station, and terminates in a direct downward connection withthe trunktube 6 in precisely the manner already described in connectionwith the overhead return-tube 12.

In the trunk-tube 6 I interpose a series of cut-out valves, which mayconveniently have the form of dampers or slides 19, one of these valvesbeing interposed in the trunk-tube between the points at whichtheroutgoing and return tubes leading to each outlying station tap saidtrunk-tube. Preferably, also, I interpose in the outgoing and -returntubes,

just above the points at which the latter communicate with thetrunk-tube, similar valves or dampers,(indicated at 2O and 21,respectively,) although the presence of such valves is not absolutelynecessary to the successful performance of my invention.

The system operates in the following manner: When all of the lines ofthe system are in use, it is of course essential to direct the currentthrough all of the several outgoing and incoming lines leading to theseveral outlying stations. In such case all of the dampers 19 are pushedin, while all of the dampers 20 and 2l, if employed, are withdrawn. Theobvious result of this arrangement is that the air-current is forced totravel through all of the lines of the system in series or successively.But supposing that the outlying station connected with any pair of tubesis idle for a considerable period of tim e, then the current may bereadily shut off from the pair of tubes connecting the trunk-tube 6therewith without interfering with the other lines of the system bysimply withdrawing the damper lying between the tubes serving said idlestation and where the dampers 20 and 21 are employed thrusting both ofsaid dampers in. This obviously enables the current to take a short cutthrough that portion of the trunk-tube lying between the outgoing andincoming tubes of said idle station, thus saving the blower the energythat would otherwise be required in maintaining the current idly anduselessly through the lines connecting the cash-desk with the idlestation. Obviously where two or more stations of the system are idlethey may all be eliminated from communication with the blower in themanner already described. Owing to the fact that an air-current, like anelectric current, will seekthe path of least resistance, which, otherthings being equal, will be the shortest path, the current willordinarily when the dampers 19 are open pass through the trunktubewithout entering the tubes-leading to the idle station, even when saidtubes are unprovided with the dampers 2O and 21; but I conceive it to bepossible that this normal tendency of the im pelling-current to seek theshortest path might be more or less aected by the resistance which itmeets in impelling or propelling carriers through the busy tubes, andhence the employment of the dampers 2O and 21 to positively prevent thecurrent yfrom entering the idle tubes is deemed preferable. In Figs. 1,2, and 3 I have shown the tubes of the system as arranged both overheadand beneath the floor; but it is obvious that for the purpose of mypresent invention the particular disposition or manner of leading theline-tubes of the system is immaterial so long as both the outgoing andincoming tubes connecting the cash-desk with each outlying station tapthe trunk-tube, with a valve in the latter between said points ofconnection. It is also obvious that the broad principle of my inventionmight be embodied in an apparatus wherein the trunk-tube was connectedat one end only with an exhaust or pressure blower, as is common in manysystems now in use, instead of being formed in an endless loop, with theblower interposed therein; but I prefer the latter arrangement, sinceexperience has proved that it conduces to a large economy in the powerrequired to operate any plant.

I claim- 1. In a pneumatic-despatch-tube system, the combination with atrunk-tube and a blower connected therewith, of a serien of pairs oftubes tapping said trunk-tube and leading respectively to outlyingstations, and cut-out valves interposed in said trunk-tube between theindividual tubes of each pair of the series, respectively, substantiallyas described.

2. In a pneumatic-despatch-tube system, the combination with an endlesstrunk-tube and a blower interposed therein, of a series of pairs oftubes tapping said trunk-tube`and leading respectively to outlyingstations, and cut-out valves interposed in said trunk-tubes between theindividual tubes of each pair of the series, respectively, substantiallyas described.

3. In a pneumatic-despatch-tube system,

IOO

IIO

the combination with a trunk-tube and a blower connected therewith, of aseries of pairs of tubes tapping said `trunk-tube and leadingrrespectively to outlying stations, cu tout valves interposed in saidtrunk-tube between the individual tubes of each pair of the series,respectively, and cut-out valves i. `interposed in each tube of eachpair adjacent the latters point of communication with the trunk-tube,substantially as described.

4. ln a pneumatic-despatch-tube system, the combination with an endlesstrunk-tube and a blower interposed therein, of a series of pairs oftubes tapping said trunk-tube and leading respectively to outlyingstations, cut- `out valves interposed in said trunk-tube between theindividual tubes of each pair of the series, respectively, and cut-outvalves interposed in each tube of each pair adjacent the latters pointof communication with the j trunk-tube, substantially as described.

5. In a pneumatic-despatch-tube system, the combination with thecash-desk and a series of outlying salesmens stations, of a trunktubeand blower connected therewith disposed adjacent the cash-desk, a seriesof pairs of tubes tapping said trunk-tube and connecting thecash-deskwith the outlying stations, respectively, and dampers interposed in saidtrunk-tube between the individual tubes of each pair of the series,respectively, substan` tially as described. j j

6. In a pneumatic-despatch-tube system,

the combination with the cash-desk anda series of outlying salesmensstatious,of a trunktube and blower connected therewith disposed adjacentthe cash-desk, a series of pairs of tubes tapping said trunk-tube andconnecting the cash-desk with the outlying stations, respectively,dampers interposed in said trunk-tube between the individual tubes ofeach pair of the series, respectively, and similar dampers interposed inthe tubes of each pair adjacent their points of connection with thetrunk-tube, substantially as described.

l EDMND A. FORDYCE. Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND,

FREDERICK O. GOODWIN.

